What a wonderful book that was easy to give you faith in human nature. So many great characters that were wonderfully kind-hearted were included as well as all the different emotions that make life so interesting. Such a great read that kept me up until the small hours. Just brilliant

Oh my days I loved it ❤️ and absolutely wonderful book and one of which I’d not have read if not for netgalley and so thank you! I adored this, and will defo read more like this one, a true gem

Oh my God I love stationery! As a child there was a shop where we went on holiday that sold sheets of writing paper in every colour. It was like a rainbow and it was sold by weight. I would save birthday money to go and buy paper. Now, I still love rainbow writing pads, but I’m also a sucker for notebooks and journals. I have writing bureaus full of them and we have to give shops like Mooch and even bookshops a swerve sometimes, because I’m running out of room! That first pristine page of a notebook, the thickness of the pages underneath and the feel of a good pen rolling across the page. I even love the smell. My favourite is a thick, leather bound notebook with spredges and end papers that have a beautiful oil print on them. I bought it from a bookbinder’s shop in Venice and it’s so beautiful I daren’t write in it. So the setting for this book drew me in straight away. Jo’s uncle has a little stationery shop and it’s the perfect place to hide from life, so when he falls ill Jo moves down to London in order to help him out. It comes at the right time because Jo is heartbroken and needs a change. Her ex-boyfriend finished their relationship after six years together. What Jo can’t see is how bad for her he was, controlling and narcissistic. From her friend’s perspective he drained Jo’s confidence and tried to separate her from her friends. They hope her time in London might help Jo to regain her confidence and perhaps even change her outlook on life.

I actually flew through this novel, loving the feel of it and how uplifting it is. I especially enjoyed all the characters that come through the shop and have the potential to teach Jo something about life. Firstly it’s a great distraction from heartbreak and I could see Jo’s growing passion for the shop. She starts to get ideas and updates it, building her confidence as she goes along. All the time she’s observing snippets of her customer’s lives as they try out pens and choose their favourite notebook. There’s a lovely elderly man called Malcolm who is also finding himself, showing Jo that we are always changing and re-inventing ourselves. There’s also a lovely vicar called Ruth, who’s also hiding and is known to the press as the ‘Runaway Vicar’. Their stories will help Jo, if she lets them in and forms a friendship with them. I loved the lesson that although we tend to think of ourselves in terms of a fixed character, we are constantly evolving and it’s never too late to change or try something new. We’re never too old to make something happen - a good lesson for me, because I’d started to think my dreams of writing my own book had passed me by. I finished the book feeling uplifted and completely charmed by these lovely characters.

I loved this book, but the main character drove me mad! I was completely exasperated with Jo - has she no pride? No independence? Whatever happened to women’s confidence and equality? This woman is behaving like a child! And would she really set off on a four hour drive without her phone?!
Then I realised that she, like many women, and men too, overthink everything.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this book for review.

A lovely, gentle read.
Jo is 38 and single. She steps in to look after her Uncle Wilbur’s stationery shop when he is taken ill.
Among the customers she meets are Ruth, who she later finds out has been referred to in the newspaper as “The Runaway Vicar”, and Malcolm, who is writing and researching a book about the history and people of Highgate Cemetery.
There is a lot of detail in this book, it is evident that the author has done a lot of research which has paid off.
I loved the relationship development between Jo, Ruth and Malcolm, and also Eric the Viking, who Jo mistakes for someone else initially.
I really enjoyed this book, I looked forward to returning to it, I found it to be very comforting at a time when I needed all the help I could get!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy in return for my honest review.

I really like Sally Page, I was so looking forward to reading her new novel and am so grateful to have access. The characters always feel so relatable and the sense of loss and great hope are always balanced in the end. Thank you.

The Book of Beginnings by Sally Page is a heartwarming story of love and friendship. It is centred around a character named Jo who moves to London to look after her elderly uncle’s stationery shop, when he is moved to a care home.
Jo meets a number of people who become unlikely friends. As her journey progresses, she learns that she is worthy of love, and this love can come from many different kinds of relationships.
Once I got into this story, I was hooked. I became very invested in all of Jo’s friendships and didn’t want her story to end. If you want something warm and uplifting to read, I definitely recommend reading The Book Of Beginnings.

I loved this book. The characters were so interesting particularly because they spanned age ranges. I loved the vicars story and would definitely read more novels about her life . This was the sort of book you could pick up and become engrossed in quite quickly . The variety of characters does keep you wanting to know more about them and to hope for good things to happen to them.

This is such a gorgeous story and being a stationery fan it filled my heart with joy.

Jo has moved to London temporarily to look after her Uncle Wilbur's stationery shop. She's in the midst of heartbreak and worried about the unspoken tension between her and best friend Lucy.

Running the shop introduces her to Ruth aka the runaway vicar, and Malcolm, a would be author. She also forms friendships with Landon and Eric the Viking who run businesses adjacent to her uncle's shop.

It is a time of reflection for this wonderful cast of characters, and the festive spirit definitely adds some extra sparkle.

A sweet and thoughtful story about friendship predominantly, but also new beginnings and old wounds that heal once brought into the light. There's also a lovely little sprinkling of romance. Gentle and a real comfort read, I adored The Book of Beginnings.

This is such a sweet, comforting story about a heartbroken woman working in a stationery shop in London, it's like a Hallmark movie in all the right ways!

A lovely book to snuggle up with on winter nights, and I'll definitely be reading more of Sally's books in the future.

I found this book just ok. Not really exciting. A nice easy story about a girl getting her heart broken and realising new new beginnings and new friends. Easy read

Enjoyable and interesting. Not one I’d normally choose but I liked the reviews. I’d be interested in reading more by this author because it’s a nice easy read for when you in the mood for just that.

Jo, who has recently broken up with her long standing boyfriend, moves to run her beloved uncle’s shop after he has a fall. In the process she finds an eclectic group of new friends, hope and belief in herself.

Jo Sorby is feeling a bit lost, her personal life is in a mess and her career is at a turning point.

She finds her self in North London looking after a stationery shop for her ill uncle, not sure if this is where she wants to be, but not really sure where she really wants to be.

Gradually she begins to meet her customers and makes new friendships with a few regulars; the delightful old man planning to write a book, the mystery vicar, who seems to have fled her parish and a few of the other shop keepers on her road.

Finding companionship and friendship in the strangest of places with people she’d never obviously chosen as friends back home in Yorkshire.

A wonderful read about finding yourself and friends in the most unlikely places.

Wonderful characters, another great book from Sally Page.

The Book of Beginnings by Sally Page

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

Jo Sorsby knows she is hiding from her past when she steps in to look after her uncle’s stationery shop. Glimpsing the lives of her customers between the warm wooden shelves, as they scribble notes with fountain pens and browse colourful notebooks, distracts her from the life she has left behind.

Yet far from home, Jo feels adrift . . .

When she meets Ruth, a vicar running from a secret, and Malcolm, a septuagenarian struggling to write his first book, she realises that she isn’t alone.

It’s the beginning of a friendship that can transform Jo’s life . . . if only she can let them in.

My Opinion

This is the second book I have read by Sally Page and both have been emotional. Sally has one again created some characters that have depth and you will easily be able to relate. Jo is temporarily running a stationery shop and get a glimpse into the lives of her customers, this ultimately helps Jo gain in confidence. A delight to read.

Rating 4/5

Sally Page's second novel is as wonderful as her first, no second novel syndrome here. Jo helps out at her Uncle's stationery shop and encourages people to embrace fountain pens, whilst she hides from her life and decides what to do.

Two customers intrigue her, Ruth is known as the 'Runaway Vicar' but what she has runaway from is not immediately known. Malcolm visited the ship when her Uncle was there and it seems that they struck up sort of nodding friendship. He is trying to write a book but not getting very far.

These three unlikely people, form a bond over the dead of Highgate Cemetery (a place I would love to visit) and we find out the possibilities of unknown people sharing conversations and lives. Perhaps that gives all of these people a new strength for the future.

A heartwarming story for all people, I cannot wait to see what Sally Pa

Jo Sorsby takes refuge from her past by stepping into the role of caretaker for her uncle's stationery shop. As she navigates the cosy space with its warm wooden shelves, observing customers engaged in scribbling notes with fountain pens and perusing vibrant notebooks, she finds solace and distraction from the life she left behind.

However, despite the comforting surroundings, Jo still feels a sense of aimlessness far from home. Her journey takes a turn when she encounters Ruth, a vicar harbouring a secret, and Malcolm, a septuagenarian struggling to pen his inaugural book. In these connections, Jo realizes that she is not alone in her struggles.

This marks the beginning of a transformative friendship that has the potential to reshape Jo's life, offering a path toward healing and renewal if only she can find the courage to let others into her world.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

I loved Loved this book and could not love this book anymore and I have recommend it to all my friends who doesn't love a book set in a stationery story and I love all the charcters in this book and can not wait to read the authors next book

many thanks to net galley and publishers for the arc of this book in exchange for this review

A charming story of friendship and love all based around a stationary shop. Jo ist trying to put her past behind her when she takes over running her uncles shop when he is unwell. There she meets new people who take over her life and give her a future that she had not been able to see before their friendship developed. The three friends - vicar who doesn't want peple to know she is a vicar and an 70 year old who is living life but not really - through their friendship all their 'propblems' dwindle t nothing. Delightful.

This is a well written and beautiful story about unlikely friendships and helping other people
The characters were quirky and interesting and very likeable. I really wanted to find out what their stories were and hoped that they would find happiness.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC.